As a leading national service provider for people with disabilities, March of Dimes Canada is committed to doing all we can to protect the health and safety of our clients and the communities we serve. That’s why we’re implementing a mandatory vaccine policy. Effective December 20, 2021, all March of Dimes Canada employees, volunteers and students will be required to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, March of Dimes Canada has been committed to maximizing health and safety across our service settings,” said Len Baker, President and CEO. “The introduction of this policy will help ensure the safety and continuity of our essential services, while enabling us to consider resuming other in-person programs that have been paused or delivered virtually since last March.” 

Full vaccination has been shown to be highly effective in reducing transmission of COVID-19 and protecting vaccinated individuals from severe consequences of the virus and its variants, including the highly contagious Delta variant. There is compelling data demonstrating a higher incidence of COVID-19 among people who are unvaccinated. 

The policy requires all employees, volunteers and students to be fully vaccinated with a Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccine (two doses plus 14 days) by December 20 in order to continue in active work with March of Dimes Canada. Over the coming weeks, efforts will continue to provide education and support for employees to become vaccinated ahead of the deadline.  

March of Dimes Canada's vaccination policy will compliment our existing suite of stringent health and safety practices, which have been in place throughout the pandemic and will remain in effect. Staff will continue to follow infection prevention and control measures that include: daily pre-shift symptom screening; physical distancing, when possible; hand washing; the use of masks and PPE; and universal precautions. During the policy implementation period, we will continue to administer Rapid Antigen Detection Tests to all frontline staff who are not fully vaccinated, as another layer of safety for all. 

“We have a moral and ethical obligation to take this strong stance in protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community,” said Mr. Baker. “With our mandatory vaccination policy, we are aligning with other organizations across our sector that are implementing similar policies - ensuring a united front against COVID-19 and its devastating impacts.”